Enemies
by Tomboy13
Summary: Reid runs afoul of a FBI agent from Florida who is out for revenge.
1. Chapter 1

**Don't own Criminal Minds**

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Dr. Spencer Reid was making his way down the brightly light halls of the BAU office with his head ducked down as he attempted to multi-task. He was digging for a file in his brown, worn messenger bag that was slung haphazardly around his thin frame while trying his hardest not to spill his steaming hot cup of coffee.

Unfortunately luck was not on the young doctor's side as a tall, well built agent chose that moment to step out of an office and directly into Reid's path.

"Jesus!" The hot coffee fumbled from Reid's hand as he fell backwards after slamming into the wall of muscle. His files went everywhere as he hit the ground hard, almost instinctively putting his hands up as a shield.

"You little _geek_!" The agent shouted as Reid attempted to stammer out an apology, half wondering if the agent had refrained himself from calling him a harsher word.

"I-I'm sorry!" Reid finally managed to blurt out as the agent grabbed him by the arm and pulled him roughly from the linoleum floor.

"Agent Tanner!" Hotch's voice was only a level above his normal speaking one but his tone was sharp and dangerous and cut through the situation as the Unit Chief walked over. "Remove your hands from Dr. Reid immediately."

Hotch moved himself closer to Reid, somewhat shielding the younger man from the bigger agent.

"I was just helping him up." Tanner responded smoothly, his eyes blazing at Hotch's stern gaze.

"…it was my fault Hotch," Reid interjected, not wanting any sort of ego clashing to start on his behalf, as he hurried to pick up his files and bag, hesitating to go near the empty coffee cup that still lay by Tanner's foot. "He really did help me up…"

Hotch's expression never changed, "There's a washroom down the hall, get cleaned up. We'll hold off on starting the briefing until you arrive."

Reid's eyes went wide for a moment but he hid it well by ducking his head towards a file once more as Tanner walked past them, muttering something as he did so.

Aaron Hotchner waited until he had moved a good distance down the hall before looking back at his team mate. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, yes. Thank you." Reid muttered breathlessly before his eyes darted around once more, "I'm sorry did you say he'll be at the briefing?"

Hotch nodded, his dark eyes settling on Reid as the younger agent moved around in an attempt to clean up the spill before anyone could slip on it. "Yes, Agent Tanner is from the Florida office. He's come up here to brief us on a string of killings that have been occurring."

Reid sighed and tossed trash into a nearby can, straightening himself out as he did so, "He could have just faxed them."

Hotch gave him a small smile as they headed up the hall to the briefing room where Morgan and Prentiss were already waiting.

* * *

"No coffee today, kid?" Morgan asked, looking up from his own cup as Reid and Hotchner entered the room. Reid grimaced and raced over to take his usual seat, pulling out the troublesome files from his bag once more, without answering Morgan. The other agent glanced at Hotch, who gave no explanation either but more of a 'we'll talk later' look.

"Sorry I'm late. I had a bit of an…accident in the hallway." Agent Tanner announced his entrance after a few minutes. His blue eyes flitted over Reid as the other agents glanced between the two men with curiosity.

"Agent Tanner," Hotch stood up, "These are agents Morgan and Prentiss. You met Dr. Reid outside."

Tanner smiled warmly at the others as he moved quickly to shake each of their hands, bypassing Dr. Reid smoothly. Morgan noticed a recently cleaned up coffee stain on what would have been a near perfect white shirt and easily put two and two together. He shook his head and pulled a file folder closer to himself as Agent Tanner began to explain the situation.

"The media has dubbed him 'Four Keys killer' but more than likely he prefers the name-"

"Jupiter." Reid muttered; mostly to himself but loud enough that Agent Tanner paused.

"_I _believe it to be Zeus, god of thunder…"

"No." Reid started again, this time driven by the fact that he knew something was wrong, "It's not Greek he's signing at the bottom of these letters, it's Roman. Jupiter."

Agent Tanner's smile became slightly plastered as he listened to the young doctor ramble on about the greater differences between the Roman and Greek names while the other BAU members glanced at each other in amusement.

"Yes…well. I suppose that's why we came to you. The best of the best." Tanner complimented Reid as the doctor finally came to a halt.

"As I was saying…we know that the unknown subject is a local from the area, he leaves these letters at each crime scene. Most of them simply talk about how great and powerful he is and so far he has seven bodies to back it up. Each of the bodies was found in various swamp areas, there's evidence that he beat them to death, cut off a trophy and left the remains for alligators."

"What sort of trophies?" Prentiss asked as Tanner pulled up a new image onto the screen.

"It varies. Fingers mostly, although he did take the left breast of the most recently victim. Trisha Keel, twenty-seven."

"But there was no evidence of sexual assault?" Morgan asked, raising an eyebrow as a picture of the crime scene was shown.

"None." Tanner replied, "Normally I would have had my men take care of this on their own but his last letter suggests that he's working with someone…"

Reid shuffled the papers until he found the letter that Tanner was talking about, "'My little Hermes tells me all that I need to know to escape with his vast knowledge of all of you'. That's odd, Hermes is the Greek variation of the messenger god but he uses the Roman one to identify himself…"

"They might just be code names." Morgan theorized as he leaned back, "It's not unheard of to have two unsubs working together, what makes this so special?"

Agent Tanner looked grim, "…He may be working with a FBI agent."

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**My first Criminal Minds fic be sure to let me know what you think! **


	2. Take off

**Thank you all reviewers. Hope you enjoy the new chapter.**

**Don't own Criminal Minds**

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The team began to gather their files together as Tanner and Hotch left the room to discuss the particulars on how they would be set up down in Florida.

"Morgan?" Reid asked as the older agent picked up his now empty cup of coffee.

"What is it, kid?"

"…do you think JJ or Rossi are going to be back in time from L.A. to join the case?"

"Garcia said she would get them up to speed and shipped out as soon as they got back…you should know this, we were in the same briefing."

Reid fidgeted, something that he did more so when he was nervous or thinking hard. "I know…it's just…" He frowned and shook his head as if a voice was speaking to him that Morgan couldn't hear.

"Never mind, I just remembered I have to get Hotch to sign something before we go…"

He hurried out of the room before Morgan could get a word in edgewise to slow him down. He took the stairs down into the bullpen with an awkward speed that only Reid could use as he left the area without a word to anyone else, including Hotch.

Morgan watched him go before shrugging to himself. Reid was filled with weird quirks and didn't always do well around new people. Morgan chalked it up to having a stranger in their usually team member's only briefing. And while Morgan thought that it was weird to have another agent doing the briefing, he figured it had something to do with inter-office politics that he'd rather let Hotch handle.

Morgan stepped outside of the round table room and glanced over at Hotch's office. The Unit Chief was speaking to Agent Tanner with a more serious look on his face than Morgan had noticed in the briefing, frowning he stepped down the same stairs that Reid had escaped on and walked over to Prentiss.

"So, what do you think?" He asked, casually leaning against the female agent's desk.

"About?" Prentiss answered as she went over her go bag.

"That agent from Florida, Tanner."

Prentiss smiled mischievously, "I can tell you right now that if we're talking about myths, Adonis comes to mind."

"…you mean the man who was so vain he was cursed by the gods?"

"Well, the good looking part at least." She gave Morgan an exasperated look, "I don't know him at all but he has to be dedicated to fly all the way up here to give us a case he could have just mailed. Is something bothering you about him?"

Morgan gave her a grin, "Nah, just getting a feel for things."

Prentiss shook her head, letting her dark hair swish around as she settled up with her go bag. "Where's Reid?"

Morgan had gone around the other sets of desks to his own to grab his own bag in preparation for the trip, "He took off like a bat outta hell after the meeting. Probably went to go get candy."

"Oh, I hope he gets Rolos."

Now it was Morgan's turn to give her an exasperated look to which Prentiss elbowed him playfully, "A girl has needs, Morgan. Don't forget it."

Morgan laughed and held up his hands in the air in mock defeat, "Garcia reminds me everyday, Prentiss, thanks."

SSA Hotchner walked out of his office, his face set in its usual stony way with a much more downcast Agent Tanner following him closely.

"Wheels up in thirty." Hotch said curtly to his team, his dark eyes moving around the room until he noticed the young doctor was not there, "Morgan, find Reid. The last thing I want is for him to miss the plane."

"Got it, boss."

* * *

Reid had never noticed how small the private jet they used to fly across the country was until he found himself trying to sit anywhere but in the vicinity of Agent Tanner. He wasn't sure what made him so uneasy about the other man since, of course, the event with the coffee was just an isolated incident and didn't necessarily reflect on how Tanner would always react to Reid. The young agent simply felt that he had burned some sort of bridge with Tanner and wasn't about to attempt to build another one just yet. Something about Tanner reminded him of his past, maybe it was the way he acted, like a bully Reid had when he was kid or maybe it was something more recent? Either way Reid knew where his focus should be and when he saw Morgan lay down on the extended couch he resigned himself to taking the seat directly across from Tanner.

Reid tugged at the strap of his messenger bag for a few moments, avoiding Tanner's intense stare until he finally forced himself to clear his throat and start a conversation.

"So…you think the unsub is working with a FBI agent?"

Tanner raised an eyebrow at Reid and even the socially awkward doctor could tell he was holding back an eye roll. "That's what I said in the briefing."

"Well I just find it odd that you're being so open about it. Statistics point that most agencies prefer to settle these sorts of problems 'in house' and while…"

"You're implying that I would allow more people to die just so I could save face with the public?"

Reid looked a bit taken aback and he shook his head earnestly, "No, not that at all I was just saying-"

"Reid." Hotch appeared over the seat the doctor was sitting in, "Garcia has something for you."

Reid wasted no time in pushing himself out of the seat and taking off to the other side of the plane to check in with Garcia, who was chatting happily with Derek Morgan over a video link.

"Hey Garcia, what did you have?"  
Garcia's face held a confused expression for a moment and she cast a glance at Morgan from the laptop screen.

"Besides a desire to see you in swimwear? Nothing, sweet cheeks." She chirped before logging off and letting the window go back to the FBI symbol.

"Hotch said…" Reid trailed off and folded his arms across his thin frame. Morgan sat up and allowed his friend to sit down.

"Never mind what Hotch said. We're almost there anyway. You ready for the Miami heat? Maybe after the case we can take a few days and see the beaches?"

Reid glanced at Morgan, "You know that the sand in the beaches is-"

Once again Reid found himself interrupted by a member of his team, "Kid, don't ruin beaches for me, please."

Reid gave Morgan a shy smile before prompting his friend into a game of cards.

* * *

They landed in Florida just as the sun hit its highest point for the day. The weather outside looked completely inviting to Prentiss and Morgan, who were talking in quiet hushes about what they would do on vacation as they exited the plane. Hotch frowned but said nothing to deter what they were saying. He knew that they would get down to business when it became necessary.

"My team should have the SUVs outside and ready on the tarmac." Tanner called as he watched Hotch leave the plane as well, leaving himself and Reid alone.

"You coming, Doc?"

The familiarity of his tone gave Reid heart that his earlier 'mistake' was probably forgiven and that Tanner was completely ready to move on and give him another chance. He gave the blond agent a smile as he shouldered his messenger bag.

"Yeah." Reid ducked his head as he left the plane and started down the stairs, listening to Agent Tanner following close behind him.

There were two black government issued SUVs parked near the plane with two new agents standing near the passenger doors.

"Morgan, Prentiss go with Tanner to the latest crime scene. Reid and I will head to the office and start things from there."

The FBI agents nodded their understandings and went off to sit in the appropriate vehicles. Reid allowed Hotch to take the front passenger seat as the nameless FBI agent slid back into the SUV, starting it up with a slight grimace from the heat.

"Hope you guys like baking…" The agent joked as he worked on turning up the a/c.

"We're fine." Hotch said curtly and Reid didn't say anything to counter him. The driver nodded, figuring that Hotch wasn't the type who wanted to make small talk and began to drive the car to the FBI office that was only a few miles away.

"Man, am I glad you guys are here…" Clearly the curtness of Hotch's earlier reply was not even to prevent the driver from speaking again during the trip. "I've heard stories you know? About the cases you guys have done."

"Really?" Reid sounded a bit surprised; he didn't think that their cases were water cooler chatter material.

"Oh yeah, Agent Tanner talks about the BAU all the time."

"He does?" Reid's brown eyes flickered towards Hotch, who seemed dead set against joining the conversation.

"Yes sir." The driver responded, looking at Reid in the rearview mirror.

Reid settled back against the seat, pondering the new information as any good profiler would. His eyes went downcast as he thought deeply, missing the fact that it was now Hotch that was watching him with curiosity in the rear view mirror altogether.

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They continued to ride in silence for some time as they approached the FBI building at an almost casual speed.

"Here we are." The agent announced as he pulled into the officials only parking area. "Agent Tanner has you guys set up on the second floor. Just wait for Agent McCoy."

Reid muttered a thank you for the ride as Hotch shook the agent's hand before stepping out of the vehicle.

"Hey Hotch…" Reid started as they headed into the thankfully air conditioned building. Hotchner looked back at his young team member with a look on his face that indicated he was listening. Reid opened his mouth to speak when they were ambushed by an extremely tall agent. The man was close to six seven and he towered over the two BAU workers easily.

"You must be from the BAU. I'm Conner McCoy." He said happily, holding out his hand for a greeting.

"Yes, I'm SSA Aaron Hotchner and this is Doctor Spencer Reid."

A flash of recognition went through McCoy's dark eyes at Reid's introduction. "Alright then, nice to meet you both. Let's get you settled in."

Hotch nodded and followed McCoy towards the elevators as Reid stood still for a moment. Something was beginning to worry him about this case and for once it wasn't just the unsub.

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	3. McCoy

**Don't own Criminal Minds**

**Thank you all reviewers  
**

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Morgan stepped out of the SUV with a grimace at the sunlight, quickly putting on his sunglasses to shield his eyes. Prentiss followed him, mimicking his movements with her own pair.

"This is area where the last body was found." Tanner announced as he walked around the SUV to join the two others. "We'll have to move deeper into the swamp lands to see the exact location."

Prentiss sighed and tied her hair up in a high ponytail, "Sounds like a blast."

Tanner gave her a flashy smile which she returned as they made their way cautiously down into the dark and damp wetlands. The ground was slick and roots were everywhere.

"This ground is pretty hard to traverse…" Morgan mused as Tanner caught Prentiss as she stumbled. "The unsub has to be from around here."

Prentiss balanced herself with Tanner's help as they finally reached the latest scene. Crime scene tape was placed around two thick trees and the greenish water had no signs of movement within it.

"This area is completely isolated, not even the water leaves here."Prentiss noted as Tanner easily made his way down to the water's edge.

"Yeah, there're alligators all over this part so not even many locals come out here."  
"But there were no signs of the bodies being eaten, just missing whatever the unsub took."

"So they couldn't have been dead that long."

Tanner eased himself back to where Prentiss was standing, clearly preferring to be closer to her than Morgan.

"The M.E. puts their deaths at three hours before they were found."

Morgan stretched and gave Tanner a thoroughly icy glare from behind his shades as he noticed how the blonde agent watched Emily. "Since there's such little evidence of traffic in this area we're assuming that the first responders are our main suspects."

Tanner nodded and folded his muscular arms across his broad chest, as if trying to make himself appear bigger than Morgan. "The first responder was, strangely, a FBI agent, which is why I believe that he might be working with the unsub."

Morgan glanced over the area once more as Prentiss took a tentative step towards the water, "Which agent is that?" She asked, wrinkling her nose at the smell.

"McCoy."

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Reid and Hotch had been ushered into a small room with two evidence boards, already littered with crime scene photos and the notes that were found with the bodies. Hotch noticed that Reid's expression seemed to be upset as he read the notes over and over again.

"Something the matter?" The older man asked, watching his subordinate closely.

Reid was in his own little world, something he did whenever his mind began to move too fast for his body to process. Hotch gave him a moment before speaking again, "Reid."

The young doctor blinked as he was pulled from his thoughts, turning to face Hotch. "There's something off…the letters..." He fumbled forward and began to pull the notes closer as if it would help prove his point, "See it's a mix of Greek and Roman, most unsubs would be meticulous in their writings…obsessive. They wouldn't simply mix the two so easily…"

Hotchner narrowed his dark eyes, unable to see where his team mate was going with this news just yet, "What does that mean?"

"I think-"

McCoy stuck his head into the office, interrupting Reid. He was holding his cell phone and had an almost alarmed look on his face, "Agent Tanner just called. H-he needs us to head down to the crime scene right away."

Hotch nodded, "Alright. Reid stay here and-"

"He requested both of you…sir." He hastily added avoiding Hotch's piercing glare. Reid picked up the copies of the notes and cast a subdued glance at McCoy.

"It's alright, Hotch. I'd rather tell everyone all at the same time."

* * *

They arrived near the first department issued SUV and McCoy put the vehicle in park, looking a bit unnerved by the other three agents simply standing around and waiting for them.

Reid and Hotch also left the vehicle, walking towards Morgan and Prentiss as Tanner approached McCoy.

"What's going on?" Hotch asked, clearly still peeved that they were dragged out here.

"Tanner thinks McCoy is the unsub." Prentiss said quietly. Morgan was watching the other two agents, his hand close to his gun.

"So he thought it was a good idea to bring him out here?" Hotch asked, mostly to himself, "What is he thinking?"

"He's arrogant." Reid noted just as Morgan's phone went off. Morgan turned and answered, listening to the message quickly.

"JJ and Rossi just landed." He told Hotch as he waited for the man's orders.

"Morgan, Prentiss take the SUV and go pick them up. Meet us back at headquarters, Reid and I will start the interview."

Hotch walked away from his team and headed towards McCoy and Tanner, who seemed to be having a hushed conversation.

"Agents. We're returning to headquarters."

"But what about-"

"_Now._" Hotch ordered, cutting Tanner off. The two Floridian agents exchanged glances before following the Unit Chief to his SUV. McCoy noted that only Hotch and the scrawny one were going to be driving with them.

Reid waited for Hotch patiently. He noted how agitated the older man was and understood why. If McCoy really was the agent working with the unsub then Tanner had placed all of them in danger by bringing him out here in an uncontrollable environment.

"Reid and I will take the backseats. You can ride up front." Hotch told the towering form of McCoy, sounding almost friendly as he did so. McCoy nodded and took his seat as Tanner retook the driver's seat.

Hotch took the seat directly behind McCoy, keeping his hand close to his gun. He wasn't sure what was going on exactly but he knew that something wasn't right. Reid, as usual, was fidgeting but this time he had his phone in his hand and was texting something to the tech Garcia.

"Tanner…" They heard McCoy finally speak, "This isn't the way to headquarters."

"You know where you're going, Conner."

Hotch frowned and leaned forward, "Agent Tanner, I ordered you to take us back to headquarters."

Reid opened his mouth to yell but all he managed was to tug Hotch back as McCoy lunged and tore the wheel from Tanner. The agents fought for a moment as they car swerved and hit an unknown object. The SUV went airborne, flipping and rolling until it came to a halt on its roof and everything inside was still.

* * *

Morgan was helping JJ with her bag as Prentiss got them up to speed on the case.

"It's a weird one alright. Tanner made no inclination that he had a suspect for the agent helping the unsub until we get all the way to crime scene and all of the sudden he's pointing fingers at an agent called McCoy."

Rossi raised his eyebrow and thought for a moment, "You haven't met this McCoy yet?"

"Sort of." Prentiss continued as they all filed into the SUV, "He called McCoy and had him, Reid and Hotch come all the way to our position."

Now Rossi was looking surprised and it took a lot to surprise the profiler vet, "He _asked _a possible suspect to come down to a crime scene and didn't think that might send off warning signals?"

"You should have seen the look on Hotch's face, Rossi." Morgan chimed in, "He looked like he was going to tear them both a new one, suspect or not."

JJ smiled at the two, "Is that what Hotch and Reid are up to?" She pulled out her PDA and began to dial a number with practiced ease. "…well Hotch isn't answering so I suppose he must have already started."  
Morgan started the car and Prentiss smoothed out her shirt, wrinkling her nose at how easily the heat was getting to her, "He did say for us to meet him back at headquarters."

JJ nodded and began to dial another number, "I'm going to check and see what the media has on this, if anything."

* * *

Hotch was dimly aware that someone was calling his name but it sounded like it was a thousand miles away.

"Hotch is still inside!."

He tried to move, he really did but everything hurt and he was still hanging upside down, the seat belt keeping him from hitting the roof.

"Reid…"

His hands couldn't quite grasp anything as he tried and tried to free himself in vain.

A pair of strong hands was pulling him downwards, easily dragging him through the destroyed back half of the black SUV. Tanner had been the one to pull him out but it was Reid who was checking him over.

"Hotch?" Reid focused on his boss's face, noting the thin line of blood that was coming out from a cut to his cheek.

"Are you alright?" Hotch asked, clearly worried for Reid despite the fact that his head was still spinning. Tanner was up and about and Reid didn't seem too bad off. It seemed that the passenger side of the car received the fiercest impact.

Reid smiled softly, "I'm fine. Agent Tanner got me out but it took some time to get you…"

Hotch sat up with Reid's help, feeling incredibly sore but nothing felt broken or out of place.

"Have you managed to get in touch with the others?" Hotch asked. He was watching Tanner approach the other side of the vehicle, no doubt to grab McCoy.

"I uhm…crushed my phone and I couldn't find yours."

"What about Tanner's?" Hotch began to push himself up and Reid attempted to help the other man to his feet but Hotch knew that Reid wouldn't be able to easily support his weight.

"He was busy getting us out I="

"Tanner! I need your phone!" Hotch called and Tanner stood up sharply from the wreckage, holding something in his hand.

"Sorry Agent Hotchner. No phone." The gun clicked back and Hotch's face went blank. "I suggest you don't move."

Reid watched as Hotch unconsciously took a slight step in front of him. "What are you doing?"

"Let's not do this here." Tanner said pleasantly as he strode forward, pointing the gun at Hotch and handing a pair of plasticuffs to Reid. "Put these on him or I shoot."

Reid glanced at Hotch, clearly taking his orders from his boss even though Tanner had a gun. Hotch nodded and Reid bound his hands with Tanner ordering him to tighten them.

"Your turn." Tanner told Reid, this time giving the pair to Hotch to use. With both agents bound, Tanner used a thin line of wire to tie them together by their cuffs

"Now march."

"What about McCoy?" Reid asked, stopping so short that Hotch nearly stumbled. "Is he dead? Is he hurt? We can't just leave him."

Tanner shook his head, "You're cuffed to your boss and walking towards a swamp with a gun at your head. McCoy isn't your priority, _Doc._"

Hotch silenced Reid by placing a comforting hand onto his shoulder. "Walk." He ordered quietly, determined to not give Tanner an excuse to hurt his friend.

* * *

They walked for what seemed to be hours with Reid slowing them down. He was barely graceful on flat surfaces so the harsh environment of the swamps was nearly impossible. Tanner only mocked him as he stumbled; nearly taking Hotch with him several times over but the older agent never lost his patience as he kept Reid from completely hitting the ground.

Tanner had them stop in front of a run down shack that was in the middle of a stagnate water source, they walked across a bridge to get to the door and the blonde agent shoved them inside. There were two chairs and a cooler inside the shack, along with signs of dried blood. Tanner untied the wire that was keeping his two prisoners together and roughly threw Reid against the wall. The young agent hit it with enough force to daze him and Hotch took a step forward only to come face to face with the gun.

"No, no, Agent Hotchner. Have a seat." Hotch did as he was ordered, never breaking eye contact with Tanner. Tanner moved and secured Hotch's cuffs to the chair which Hotch tested by pulling up on them. It was solid and the chair was nailed to the floor as if expected that this very moment would one day happen.

"What is this all about Tanner?" Hotch asked, hoping to keep the man from putting his attention back onto Reid.

"Do you remember when you hired this kid?" Tanner asked as he made his way casually over to Reid who was trying to push himself to his feet.

"You passed over me, a seasoned and trained agent for a brat who could barely pass his firearms test."

Hotch narrowed his eyes, "You're doing this for…revenge? Doing this won't get you the job now."

Tanner helped Reid to his feet and hauled the doctor to the other chair, securing him much like he had done to Hotch.

"It doesn't matter now. I've already killed five people."

"So you did kill all those victims." Hotch stated, it was not a question.

"Well I had to get you out here one way or another…"

Reid groaned, his head was throbbing, "…that's why those notes were so poorly done. A mix of Greek and Roman gods…you just threw things together…half-assed."

Tanner clocked Reid across the face with the gun and Hotch tensed, "The adults are talking, Doc."

"If you want someone to be angry at then be angry at me." Hotch told Tanner but the crazed agent only smiled.

"No, I think I prefer this arrangement better." He walked behind Reid and grabbed a fistful of hair, tugging his head up roughly. "I left enough breadcrumbs to lead your other agents searching places that McCoy would have taken you and by the time they realize the truth, well…" He tugged Reid's head back harder, this time getting a cry of pain from the younger man, "You'll both be dead."

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	4. Breadcrumbs

**Don't own Criminal Minds**

**Thank you all reviewers!  
**

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The other members of the BAU arrived at the FBI headquarters and when they asked for Hotch or Reid, nobody could say they had seen them.

"What about agents Tanner or McCoy?" JJ asked a young aid.

"Agent McCoy left with two men earlier today. I haven't seen him since. I have to go." He rushed past JJ who looked extremely frustrated.

"These agents don't know a thing and neither Reid nor Hotch are answering their phones."

Morgan was away from the group, speaking quietly to Garcia.

"He did what?"

"He sent me a text a bit earlier today asking to look into the backgrounds of Tanner and McCoy, which was the last time I was able to get a location on his cell. Baby please tell me they're okay."

"They probably are, mama; I bet Reid just dragged Hotch into a bookstore or something."

He could hear Garcia typing away intensely before she paused, "Derek, the GPS for their SUV just came back on!"

Morgan nodded and signaled over to Rossi, "Alright, we're on our way."

* * *

"Your friends should be on their way to the crash sight about now…" Tanner told Hotch conversationally as he held Reid's head back. The young man had his eyes closed but Tanner didn't seem to care either way, he was almost caressing the doctor's exposed neck as he continued to talk as if nothing was odd about the situation at all.

Hotch's eyes were narrowed as he watched Tanner's hands like a hawk. He was pulling against his bonds slowly, trying to keep his movements discreet.

"So, they'll find you soon."

"Weren't you listening earlier?" Tanner asked, sounding offended, "I said I left breadcrumbs…"

Tanner pushed Reid's face downwards and the young man began to pant to catch the breath he had been losing to earlier treatment of his neck.

"Hey Doc, didn't you say you couldn't find Hotch's cell phone?"

It took Reid a few moments to answer in the positive and Tanner simply ran a hand through Reid's hair until he recovered.

"Don't touch him." Hotch cursed himself the second he said it. He wanted to remain distant, as hard as it was, hoping that Tanner would think that hurting Reid wouldn't affect him.

Tanner grinned, "Does it bother you?" When Hotch refused to reply, Tanner hit Reid across the face, making the younger man's head snap to the side and face Hotch.

"It's not his fault that I didn't hire you." Hotch reminded Tanner once more.

"Oh, I know but I also know that beating you won't do me a lick of good. You're strong, physically, Hotchner. Nothing I could do to your body would matter."

He traveled to stand directly in front of both of them with the smile still on his face. He moved quickly and all Hotch heard was the gunshot and Reid's agonized scream. Tanner had shot him just above the kneecap and Hotch watched helplessly as blood began to pool around the shaking doctor.

"Hotch was right…" Reid had started to speak, "…not to hire you…you're…insane."

Tanner took a step forward, punching Reid so hard in the gut that he began to dry heave. "Actually, I have a working theory on why you picked him over me." He checked his watch and sighed dramatically, "But that will have to wait until I get back. Have a good night."

With those words he left the shack, securing the door and leaving the two agents to themselves.

"Reid…are you alright?" Hotch asked, now pulling on his bonds with more effort.

"Y-yeah…it went straight through…"He tried to smile, "…still hurts though."

"We're going to get out of this."

Reid looked up and met Hotch's gaze. He swallowed and nodded because at that moment if Hotch said it then Reid knew it was true.

* * *

The police were already around the SUV when Morgan and Rossi showed up. Prentiss and JJ had stayed behind to continue working on the original case with the local office's help.

Rossi strode up to the man who was clearly in command of the scene and held up his credentials, "I'm SSA David Rossi and this is SSA Derek Morgan. This vehicle is FBI property and there were four agents inside."

The police officer sniffed at the badges and continued to chew his gum, "Four? We only found one. Driver. He's already been sent off to the hospital."

"What did that man look like?" Morgan asked, knowing that driver had to be either Tanner or Hotch.

"Big fella, nearly seven feet tall I'd estimate."

"That's McCoy." Morgan told Rossi quickly.

"Our boys are thinking that there was some kind of fight over the wheel which caused the crash." The officer chewed out slowly.

Rossi knelt down to look at the wreckage. "So, McCoy's driving-"  
"He was a suspect, no way in hell Hotch would let him drive." Morgan stated quickly.

Rossi nodded, "So, either he overpowers the driver and gets him to pull over and change seats…"

"Or he was never the driver." Morgan said firmly.

"You heard the officer…" Rossi told Morgan, almost kindly.

"Rossi you know they probably only thought that because he was the only one they found."

His phone went off, distracting him and he answered it, "What is it, baby girl?"

"Hotch's phone just came back online. I had his and Reid's flagged just in case…"

The officer came up as Morgan listened to Garcia intently, handing something off to Rossi as he did so.

"Right, Garcia you are a goddess. Rossi and I are heading out now."

Rossi waited until Morgan had ended the call with Garcia to hold up something in an evidence bag. "This is Reid's cell phone."

Morgan took the bag and looked over the pieces, "It's been crushed…"

"Probably from the accident." Rossi agreed as they started walking in the direction Garcia had indicated. "Which means either he left in such a hurry he forgot his cell or they were definitely in the car when it flipped."

"Either way Hotch and Reid definitely need our help." Morgan looked around to get his bearings, "Garcia said Hotch's phone is signaling from just down an incline near us…"

"There!" Rossi spotted the body first and Morgan yelled back at the cops who were still looking at the accident. Morgan noticed that the body didn't have dark or even brown hair, it was blonde.

"Tanner?" Morgan called out as he made his way slowly down the incline. "Man, are you hurt?"

Tanner had blood dripping from his chest and he was clutching a cell phone painfully tight in his hand.

"…Hotch and the kid…" He pulled himself up the rest of the embankment with a wince.

"What happened?" Rossi asked, putting a hand on the agent's broad shoulder.

"McCoy flipped out on the way back to headquarters…he was screaming about not going down without a fight." Tanner sat down on the pavement. "He pulled a gun and I remember Hotchner yelling…I pulled over 'cause I didn't want to get into an accident or something and he grabbed the kid…" He shook his head as if he was having a hard time remembering anything. He took off into the swamp with him and Hotchner and me well we chased after him…"

Morgan was tensing and Rossi could see it but Tanner didn't seem to notice.

"McCoy and Hotchner got into a fight but McCoy's gotta have like a foot and sixty pounds on him…the kid…McCoy shot the kid and took off."

"He shot Reid!" Morgan asked, praying he heard that wrong.

"Yeah…kid was still alive though…Hotchner gave me his phone and told me to try and get help. I heard the sirens and now I'm with you two…"

"How far back are they?"

Tanner pointed, in a direction that was a complete opposite from where he was holding the other two agents. "I was walking for about an hour…McCoy might've been able to call his partner to try and finish us…"

Morgan nodded his thanks, "You did good, man. We're gonna get you to a hospital."

"But what about Hotchner and the kid?"

"Morgan and I will find them. You get some rest." Rossi told him firmly as the police officers moved in to help him up. "Get him checked out."

"He said he was walking for an hour in that direction…" Morgan glanced back at the police officer, "I need your men to do a sweep of this area and fast. We have two federal agents out there."

Tanner watched with glee as the police and the other two agents rushed around to try and find their friends. He smiled, knowing that he had just fooled two BAU agents so easily. Hotch was a fool to not hire him and he was going to prove it.

* * *

**Tanner's probably a little smarter than most people give him credit for...just a little **


	5. Regret

**Don't own Criminal Minds**

**Thank you all reviewers!**

**Warning: Whump chapter  
**

* * *

Agent Tanner left the ER with a prescription for pain medicine and the reward of getting a few days of leave to 'recover' by his superior. This gave the madman five days of free time to do whatever he pleased and he had a few things in mind. He packed a suitcase with some clothes and bought a train ticket to Georgia. He was planting yet another fake trail, this time to make it look like that he had gone off to see his family.

It would be completely understandable after what he had just gone through and no one would question it.

Not even the BAU.

He departed, thoroughly pleased at what he had already accomplished and headed back out to his shack to finish the job.

* * *

"Reid…"

"Uh…?"

"_Reid!_" Hotch hissed, his wrists raw and chaffed from attempted to get out of the bindings that held him in place. "You need to stay awake."

"I know…I know…" Reid muttered, "I'm just tired."

"Reid."

"I can't believe he set all this up just to prove a point to you." The younger man stated and Hotch hoped that he would continue to talk, "I mean…well…" He hissed as he moved his leg, "How badly did he want this job?"

Hotch had to think back, "…he didn't act like he wanted the job that much. He acted like he already had it, as if there was no one better than him, typical narcissistic personality."

Reid found that he could put his hand onto his leg if he brought his leg closer, so he did so as Hotch continued to speak.

"He couldn't empathize."

Reid looked confused, "He couldn't?"

Hotch grimaced as he continued to think, "He could comfort a victim but he couldn't empathize with them and certainly not the unsubs."

A slow horrified look came across Reid's face, "If he thinks unsubs are unredeemable that means…"

"Now that he's decided to act on his desires there's going to be no reasoning with him." Hotch said softly, "An end game scenario is probably the only way he's going to finish this…"

Reid's mind was filling up with logic, the shield he used whenever things got too hard for him, "Why didn't anyone notice anything…why didn't you?" It wasn't an accusation, though Hotch felt as if he would have deserved one, it was curiosity.

"At the time he was still a young agent. I chalked it all up to inexperience and he was sent down here where he did well."

"So he let his anger grow for six years until something finally made him snap." Reid mused quietly. "Maybe we could find the stressor and…" He continued to rationalize and reason as Hotch continued to try and get himself loose and they soon fell into a comfortable silence.

* * *

Derek Morgan had been combing the area with a grid like search pattern for hours. Prentiss, who had come down with some food for the agents, had tried to bribe him into taking a break.

JJ had tried to reason.

Garcia had begged.

Only Dave left him alone and had offered to continue helping when several of the officers were sent home.

Everything seemed to be working against them. The trees were too dense for an air search, the air too saturated for dogs and everything just too dark to justify sending in more men into a rough and unstable terrain.

"Hotch and Reid are smart." Rossi stated as he and Morgan moved back down the embankment, "They're probably lying low for the night."

Morgan heard the logic in the older profiler's voice but a deep sort of roar in the back of his mind wouldn't let him process it. He assumed it was his protective nature rearing up. Reid had always been a soft spot for Morgan and his brother instincts wouldn't let him rest until he knew his friends were safe. "Garcia's looking into McCoy from her end, why don't we head back and check out his office. We could probably find something that points to who he's working with…"

Rossi was talking in a low tone which suggested that he would probably go along with whatever Morgan decided on doing. The younger agent stopped walking and looked around at the officers that had volunteered to stay with them through the night.

"…all right. This is on hold until first light tomorrow but I want patrols going up and down this road, just in case."

The officers nodded and began to regroup to get themselves ready for overnight patrols.

"I know this is hard, Derek." Rossi only used his first name when he was trying to make a point, "But we have to give Hotch and Reid credit and work on the profile."

Morgan nodded solemnly and opened the door to their SUV, "Right."

* * *

Hotch froze when he heard footsteps approaching the shack. They were heavy and sure, as if the person making them had nothing to hide from.

It wasn't a good sign.

"Hello. Did you guys have a nice night?" Tanner asked as he closed the door behind him, dropping his bag next to it.

Reid was shaking slightly but Hotch was certain it was from the pain he was in and not from fear, although Tanner clearly took it the opposite way.

"Oh, Doc. Don't be afraid…I brought you something to wrap up the wound."

"I don't need anything from you." Reid said his voice calm and steady. Tanner clicked his tongue and walked over to the young doctor, kneeling down in front of him.

"What are you doing?" Reid asked as Tanner pulled white plastic gloves from his back pocket.

"Now, I'm not a doctor…" Reid's eyes went wide and he looked over at Hotch. "So you might want to just sit still."

A scream tore from Reid's mouth before he could stop it; he thrashed but could not get away as Tanner tug his thick fingers into the gunshot wound.

"Now Doc, I said to sit still. I have to make sure the bullets not in there."

"Stop! Please!" Reid cried out, sobbing as pain flashed through him. He hunched over and was breathing heavily when Tanner finally stopped. Yet, true to his word, the crazed man treated the wound and wrapped it.

Hotch hadn't moved throughout the encounter. He sat dangerously still as Tanner worked, his eyes narrowed like a predator ready to kill.

Tanner sat back on his heels and studied Reid with morbid curiosity. "Do you know what Agent Hotchner here told me when he turned me down for the job?"

When Reid didn't answer, Tanner grabbed his wound tightly, "Ah! No!"

"He said I was too 'young' and too 'experienced'." Tanner said quietly, "But right after that, he goes and hires you…you had to be…what? Twenty-two?"

"Twenty." Hotch answered stoically. "He was twenty."

Reid shut his eyes but Tanner only chuckled, "Twenty? Well now that is impressive, Doc."

Tanner got to his feet and walked back over to his bag, reaching down for it and pulling out a bottle of water. It was then that Hotch and Reid both truly realized how thirsty they were.

"But did you know that isn't what Hotchner wrote in his report? Isn't it, _Aaron?_"

Hotch never broke eye contact with Tanner once he had made it, "No, it isn't."

"'Agent Tanner would be well suited for a tactical strike unit.' 'Agent Tanner requires more experience with civilians.' 'I would not recommend Agent Tanner for a position at the BAU at this time!'" His voice went up a bit and Hotch guessed that finding his file was probably the stressor. Tanner had undoubtedly built himself up and when he saw what most of his superiors truly thought of him, he crumbled. He knew for certain now that he would never be promoted and for someone who was desperate to be God…that was a crushing blow.

Reid's head began to bob and Hotch's eyes left Tanner to settle on his team mate. Reid was pale and his face was tear streaked. He was fighting a losing battle with staying awake and the adrenaline that was slowly leaving him was pushing him closer to the blackness.

"Go ahead and sleep, Doc…" He stood up and as he did so he once again struck Reid harshly in the gut. This time the doctor began coughing which led to dry heaves. He turned his head as best he could as he retched.

"Pathetic." Tanner pulled Reid's hair to force him back to his original spot and hit him across the face, this time repeatedly.

Hotch wasn't sure where the strength came from but as Reid cried out again and again, he began pulling desperately. He threw himself forward and couldn't hide the surprise on his face when the chair came loose. He wasted no time and tackled Tanner to the ground, bringing his tied hands together and dropped them roughly onto Tanner's head.

Hotch knew he had little chance against Tanner still being attached to the chair but his desperation kept him fighting.

Reid watched in horror as Hotch tackled Tanner. His boss seemed to have the upper hand but Tanner was soon able to kick him off and turn the tides.

"Hotch!" He yelled, surprised by how weak he sounded. "No…Hotch…"

Tanner kicked him harshly and the chair landed on its back with Hotch looking up at the ceiling. He was bleeding from his temple which he wiped as he pushed himself back to his feet.

"That was a mistake, Aaron." He growled out, "And I'm going to make you regret it."

* * *

**Oh nooo **


	6. Tactics

**Don't own Criminal Minds**

**Thank you all reviewers!  
**

* * *

A gunshot rang out.

The entire area went deathly still as an uneasy silence filled the shack.

No one moved.

No one even breathed until finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, Agent Tanner fell to his knees. A crimson color began to show itself on his chest and he gingerly placed a hand onto the wound.

"…you shot me." Tanner seemed utterly surprised as his eyes slowly moved towards Hotch. Hotch was twisted into a position that Reid knew had to be extremely uncomfortable with a viciously dark look on his face and Tanner's weapon in between his cuffed hands. Hotch didn't let the gun waver or drop as Tanner slowly fell back onto the floor, the blood leaving his body quickly and draining him of energy.

Several minutes went by with Hotch and Reid simply staring at Tanner's body, as if expecting him to rise up like some sort of unholy monster.

Hotch dropped the gun and allowed his body to flop back, giving himself a moment to gather up the energy he would need next to get himself back upright, chair and all.

Hotch considered resting for another moment or two until a soft whimper from Reid caused him to tilt his head.

"Hang on, Reid." Hotch knew that the younger man would have allowed him to rest as long as he really needed without question and somehow that thought only fueled Hotch to get his ass in gear. "Just hang on."

Reid nodded, cursing himself for making a sound. He knew Hotch needed rest but the pain of his leg had hit him anew as the adrenaline left his body. He watched as Hotch threw his body forward and rolled to get to his knees, the chair adding weight that didn't help the process. He then fell back into the chair and was once again sitting as if he had never tackled Tanner in the first place.

"That was a smart move you did…" Reid muttered as Hotch began to fidget with his bindings. Reid knew that Hotch had been working on those since they arrived at the shack and if he couldn't find a way out of them, they were probably not going to make it out alive.

"I used your technique, remember? When you got my gun during that incident with Dowde?"

Reid smiled softly but suddenly found that he didn't have the energy to really answer Hotch back. "Did you know that adrenaline can keep a body going…"

Hotch looked up from what he was doing as Reid trailed off, "Reid?" He received no answer, "Reid!"

Hotch cursed loudly as he continued to struggle to get himself loose.

* * *

Morgan's cell phone went off at exactly two in the morning. He hadn't been sleeping but the ring jerked him out of the quiet stupor he had lulled himself into instead of actual rest.

"What's up, Garcia?" He answered with a yawn.

"So, Agent Conner McCoy has no red flags on his file." She said immediately, witty banter almost forgotten. "He does pretty well for himself and has a lot of letters of recommendations and awards."

Morgan rubbed his eyes and shrugged, "That doesn't mean he's not capable of snapping."

He could hear Garcia typing and knew she was about to add more, "See that's just it. I looked into both of those guys, Tanner and McCoy. And Morgan, I know I'm not a profiler but if I had to pick which one of these guys was going to snap…"

"You'd pick Tanner."

"Bingo. Did you know he applied for the BAU about the same time Reid did?"

"No…" Morgan was looking for his shoes now, "What happened?"

"Hotch denied him and placed a letter into his file that pretty much would guarantee that he wouldn't ever get into the BAU or at least a leadership position in the Bureau. Get this…he was rejected for a promotion a few weeks ago and…if I had to guess, judging by how often his file's been pulled up, he probably finally saw what Hotch wrote."

"…alright. Call Prentiss and JJ; keep them working on the case, in case we're off about Tanner or McCoy. I'm going to go with Rossi to the hospital to talk with Tanner."

"Way ahead of you, chief. Tanner checked out of St. Mary's a few hours after he got there and it looks like he bought a train ticket to Georgia."

"So it's a dead end?"

"Now I didn't say that, my sweet, he might have bought a ticket but he certainly didn't check in…"

Morgan grabbed his gun and his jacket, "Send me his address."

* * *

Rossi had been going over the crime scene photos in his room when Morgan had knocked on the door.

"I thought you said you were going to get some rest." Rossi asked as he pulled the door open. Morgan frowned and updated Rossi on the information Garcia had set him.

"You're not suggesting that Agent Tanner set all of this up, are you?" Rossi looked a bit skeptical, "He's the agent working with the unsub?"

Morgan sighed and gave him a shrug, "Rossi, I'm starting to think that there is no unsub. I'm thinking that Agent Tanner did all of this on his own."

Rossi made his way to his suitcase to grab a jacket for himself, "So he asked his down here because he wants to get caught…"

"No…I think he asked us down here to prove to Hotch that he's smarter than him."

Rossi pulled on his jacket and checked his weapon, "Alright. Let's go check out his place and see what we find."

* * *

It was clear to both FBI agents that Tanner never expected them to investigate his house beyond his entrance hall. He had clippings of newspapers that detailed the BAUs major cases, complete with photos of the team in his den. Morgan was a bit off put by the fact that Reid's picture, and the few old ones that held Gideon, were blacked out.

"He's not a fan of our boy genius is he?" Rossi noticed the pictures as well. Morgan shook his head and continued into the next area, Tanner's bedroom.

"Rossi get in here!" Morgan yelled as he entered Tanner's bedroom. There were tools there covered in what any experienced agent would know to be blood. Rossi walked in and surprise briefly flitted across his face.

"I'm calling a CSU down here and I want all agents and local police to start a search for Tanner." Morgan spat and Rossi nodded in understanding as the two agents began to deal with the new evidence they had just found out.

* * *

**Uh oh **


	7. Tumble

**Don't own Criminal Minds**

**Thank you all reviewers!**

* * *

Hotch was pulling harshly against the cuffs, twisting and causing harm to his own wrists in the process but that didn't matter now.

He was fighting a losing battle with time.

Reid hadn't moved since he had passed out nearly ten minutes ago. Hotch took a moment to gather everything he had before he pulled up so violently that when the cuffs did snap he nearly clocked himself in the face.

"Reid!" Hotch scrambled upright and headed over to his unconscious team mate. He checked Reid's pulse and found that, while it was strong, it was also slow. He glanced around the area, moving towards a pile of tools that he was grateful Tanner would never have the chance to use. He found a box cutter and stepped back over Tanner's body, cutting Reid's hands free.

Reid's face was black and blue and Hotch suspected that if he pulled up Reid's shirt he would find similar colors on his chest. At the moment the older agent was more worried about the gunshot wound but Tanner's wrapping seemed to be doing its job.

"Reid…" Hotch tried once more to get the younger man to wake up but to no avail. He picked up Reid easily, a bit shocked at how light the doctor really was, and laid him on the floor. He kept him far away from Tanner's body but he wanted Reid to be comfortable as he went back to search for a cell phone.

Tanner had been careful and Hotch couldn't find his own phone or even a personal one on the crazed agent's body. He sighed and glanced out the only window of the shack.

It was still daylight and he knew he could probably carry Reid for at least ten miles, possibly less, given the terrain. He contemplated leaving Reid in the shack and traveling alone to find help but he was afraid that something would happen to the younger man while he was left defenseless. Hotch grabbed Tanner's weapon before he moved back over to Reid and hoisted him up onto his shoulders in a fireman's carry and left the shack and Tanner behind.

* * *

Morgan was going through some of the articles that Tanner had compiled. There were notes on each of them, messages about what he would have done better. Morgan noticed that the words seemed particularly harsh in cases where Reid had gotten hurt.

"He's been reading our case files, Rossi."

Rossi pinched the bridge of his nose and dropped down another set of files in front of Morgan, "He pulled Hotch and Reid's personnel files. _This _should have sent up a dozen or so red flags."

Morgan could see that the normally calm man was getting understandably angry that the FBI was letting things slip through their grasp that should have been caught earlier.

"Look…" Morgan walked past a CSI who was taking photographs and tossed a black book towards Rossi, who caught it deftly.

"All of the victim's names are in there."

Rossi flipped through it, "This doesn't prove he killed them, Derek, if anything it could be something he was using on the case…"

Another agent poked his head into the room, "Agent Rossi, we have several reports of Agent Tanner's car being spotted along rural route twelve."

Rossi pocketed Tanner's journal and motioned to Morgan that it was time to go. Morgan wrapped up his search and followed the older man out, leaving the other agents to finish up.

* * *

Hotch carried Reid out of the shack and made a mental note to get the younger man to start eating more protein. Reid felt lighter than some of the weapons he had to carry back in SWAT and while it was somewhat worrisome it was making it easier for Hotch to set a strong pace. He also told himself that he was going to start inviting the younger man to dinners at his house. Jack certainly enjoyed Reid and his magic tricks and Hotch could start supervising his meal intakes.

Hotch stopped and shook his head.

He wasn't Reid's mother and right now if he didn't get Reid to a hospital soon he wouldn't have to worry about the other agent's eating habits ever again. He glanced at the sun and noted that it was setting towards his left so he turned his back to it to start heading east.

He felt the lack of ground on his new path before he could register it. The terrain he had been on had suddenly dropped out from under him in a steep slope and he fell forward with a yell. He twisted as best he could to bring Reid's head to his chest, holding his body tightly against himself as they rolled and tumbled for what seemed to be several minutes. Hotch let out another yell as his leg became caught in a series of roots and when Reid's body continued to move and his did not, his ankle snapped. They slowly came to a halt next to a body of water and Hotch pushed himself up to check on Reid almost immediately.

"Reid?"

Somehow the fall had managed to wake up the young man and he blinked in confusion as he tried to focus on Hotch's face.

"-otch?" He furrowed his brow and tried again, "Hotch…'Otch…"

Hotch put his hand to Reid's forehead to push back his hair, pausing when he felt the heat. Reid was starting to get a fever.

"Reid, can you sit up?" He asked, staying calm. Reid nodded and struggled to get back up with Hotch's help. The older agent rested him against a tree that was thankfully close by. Hotch then braced himself to get back to his feet but as he put the weight onto his leg, he felt it give out on him and he fell back to the ground with little grace as Reid watched with wide eyes.

"…you're hurt…" Reid tried to stand but Hotch shook his head firmly.

"You're worse off than I am. Stay still." He ordered as he glanced around at his surroundings to weigh his choices.

He knew that there was no way for him to climb the slope with Reid and his ankle. He also knew that Reid was in no shape to help himself up in anyway either. The water they were by was also a threat as the creatures that lived in it would undoubtedly be eventually attracted to the scent of Reid's blood.

Reid's brain was sluggish but he was drawing the same conclusions as Hotch. "Go." He whispered softly and Hotch turned to face him with a blank expression. "…you can't carry me up there with that ankle…there's still…still an hour or two of sunlight left…I'll be okay…"

Hotch refused to hear the logic in Reid's weak voice, "Hotch…we can't just stay here and hope for the best…"

Hotch scowled but finally nodded slowly, "I'm going to go up the slope and see if I can find a road by the time the sun sets completely. I'll be back here by nightfall."

He pushed himself to his feet again, this time prepared to keep the majority of his weight off his broken ankle and hobbled over to Reid. He held out Tanner's gun and glanced towards the water when a new thought hit him.

"Will you be able to stay awake, Reid?"

The doctor reached out for the gun and grasped it, "Yes."

Hotch studied him for a moment before he forced himself to walk away from Reid and back towards the slope. He knew he would have to practically drag himself up it but with both of their lives on the line, he knew he didn't have any other choice.

* * *

**Hotch and Reid can't seem to catch a break **


	8. Strength

**Don't own Criminal Minds**

**Thank you all reviewers!  
**

* * *

One.

Two.

Three…

Breathe out…

…two.

…three…

Reid's brain had given him a simple pattern to follow, in and out, breathing deeply but slowly as he struggled to stay upright against the tree. His eyes flickered up towards Hotch who was silently pulling himself up the slope. Even at a distance Reid could see the pain etched onto his features and desperately wished for even an ounce of Hotch's strength.

He forced himself to keep his eyes trained on Hotch until the older man disappeared from sight but when he was unable to see Hotch any longer he felt the gun go limp in his hand and clatter to the ground. He groaned and blindly reached for the gun but it was just out of his finger tips and he didn't have the strength to lean away from the tree to get it. He coughed harshly and decided that he didn't really need the gun at the moment and figured that Hotch would understand when he returned.

* * *

Aaron Hotchner considered himself a strong man. He had been in SWAT and often led the BAU in takedowns of suspects alongside Derek Morgan but he was also a logical man. He was lost and injured in an unfamiliar area with daylight rapidly fading. He hadn't had food or water in about a day or so and he wasn't making strong progress in any sort of direction. The odds were stacked so against him it was like playing poker with Reid.

Reid…

He had left the younger man to fend for himself when he was totally helpless. Hotch knew it was the only way that either of them stood a chance to survive but he also knew that the guilt was going to eat away at him about it for some time.

He estimated that he had made it no further than seven hundred yards in about thirty minutes. He would have to turn back soon just to meet his deadline of returning by nightfall to Reid but he could almost make out a black line in the distance, a road. He knew he would never make it there and back before nightfall but if he went back to Reid now the younger man was only going to get worse. Hotch frowned and looked up at the slowly disappearing sun before he made a rash decision. He started to haul himself forward at a speed that not only jarred his injured ankle but actually forced himself to put weight onto it. He hissed and cursed loudly as he forced himself to keep going, desperate to reach the road. His feet pounded the slowly cooling ground and just as he reached the road, he collapsed.

* * *

Morgan had joined the team that was looking over Tanner's vehicle with a frown.

"Have you guys found anything that might indicate where he went?"

A young officer looked up from the car and gave Morgan a shrug, "I'm sorry, sir. It's clean. There aren't even any prints. We only know it's Tanner's because of the registration."

Morgan ran a hand over his head and muttered under his breath. His phone went off at that moment, sparing the young officer from having to deal with him any further.

"What's up, Prentiss?"

"Rossi and I have been going over some of the locations on the map that the victims were found in and they all seem to hub around a certain area."

Morgan clenched his phone tightly; this was the break they were probably looking for.

"Where?"

"Between mile markers nine and ten off of the route you're on. He might have a cabin or something out there…"

"Right. I'll hitch a ride down there and call you if I find anything."

Morgan approached the young officer once more, clicking his phone shut as he walked over.

"You, do you know where mile marker nine is?" He asked.

The young man nodded, "Sure, it's not far from here, just up that way." He noted the look on Morgan's face and added, "Do you want me to take you?"

Morgan nodded and the officer spoke with one of his commanding officers before leading Morgan down to his car. They got in and began to drive in the direction that the man had pointed in earlier. They drove for about fifteen minutes and the officer clicked his tongue as the sun set.

"I hate how dark it gets around here…" The officer muttered as he switched on his high beams just in time to see a body fall across the road. "CHRIST!"

The officer swerved and Morgan was already opening the passenger door because he knew exactly who that mop of raven hair belonged to, "HOTCH!"

"Sir! Wait!" The officer yelled as the car slowed enough for Morgan to jump out of it and run over to his collapsed superior.

"Hotch, man. Hotch!" Morgan shook him harshly, "Hotch, where's Reid?"

Hotch took several minutes to answer, he was clearly exhausted and Morgan noticed that his ankle was twisted into a direction it probably wasn't supposed to go.

"Reid's back…there. Down an embankment…" Hotch coughed as the officer hurriedly called in an ambulance and rushed to get Hotch a bottle of water. The dark haired agent was in pain and very exhausted but there was a relived look on his face as he gratefully took the offered water bottle.

"Stay with him. There's another agent out there that I need to find."

"You can't go into that area in the dark! You'll get lost!" The officer called as he helped Hotch to his feet. Morgan hesitated but then flipped his phone back out.

"Call in a search team if you want but I'm not waiting."

"Morgan." Hotch called out to him and Morgan rushed over to help the officer get Hotch to his vehicle so the older man could sit, "I left Reid alone…he's hurt."

Morgan frowned, "So are you." He responded but he knew what Hotch was saying. "Officer, I need your flashlight and some flares."

The young man looked between the two and muttered something before moving off to get Morgan the items. Hotch was leaning heavily against the backseat of the car as he took slow sips of the water.

"He's not that far back, Morgan…"

Morgan nodded as the officer returned with the gear, "What about Tanner, Hotch?"  
Hotch's face went grim, "Dead. He's further back and we can send units to pick up his body."

"Right. Officer, I'm going out to search for the other agent. If I can't move him then I'll place flares down for other units, understand?"

"Yes sir." The officer responded, clearly not happy at the breach in protocol. "But I insist you take one of these radios so we can keep in contact."

"Right." Morgan clipped the radio to his belt and turned on the flashlight before he jogged off towards the direction Hotch had pointed in.

* * *

When the night set in and Hotch still hadn't returned Reid felt a sense of dread flood into him.

"Hotch?" He called out hoarsely, hearing noises coming from all around him that he couldn't identify but knew that none of them were Hotch.

His resolve was leaving him and as it left, pain and fear took its place.

'He's not coming back…' A nasty voice spat in the back of Reid's mind, 'Everyone always abandons you because you're too weak to help them.'

He groaned and his body fell forward into an uncomfortable position in time for a light to shine over the ledge and a voice to call out,

"REID!"

* * *

**One chapter left **


	9. Recovered

**Don't own Criminal Minds**

**Thank you all reviewers!  
**

* * *

"REID!"

Morgan slid down the embankment with much more grace than Hotch had earlier that day.

"Reid…c'mon kid." He knelt down by Reid's body and as he placed his hand at his neck to check his pulse he nearly pulled back at how cold the younger man felt. He was pale, even more so than what was normal for Reid and the gunshot wound on his leg had clearly started to bleed.

Morgan eased Reid onto his back and gave him a shake as he did so.

"Reid, I need you to open your eyes." Morgan demanded as he pulled off the two way radio from his belt, "Becker, it's Morgan. I found Dr. Reid, is the ambulance there yet?"

Reid had stirred slightly and opened his eyes, much to Morgan's relief.

The reply was static filled but when Morgan heard the conformation he looked back at Reid with a sort of pity filled gaze.

"This isn't going to be fun, kid but I gotta get you out of here."

He scooped Reid up into a fireman's carry and hoisted them both out of ditch and back towards the others.

* * *

Hotch hadn't even realized that he had passed out until he awoke and found that he was in a stiff, yet somehow comfortable, hospital bed. He blinked as his groggy mind slowly started to force itself to normal speed and he turned in the bed only to see David Rossi sitting in a chair on his left with a book on his lap.

"Dave?" He asked, now pushing himself up.

"Careful, Aaron. Your system probably still has sedative in it." Rossi mused as he flipped the page he was on.

"Sedative?" Hotch frowned and looked at his ankle, "That wasn't bothering me that much."  
Rossi smirked and closed his book with a snap, "You started to become 'combative' with the EMTs when Morgan brought Reid by you. That's the story the EMTs gave us, anyway."

"Reid? Is he-"

Rossi held up a hand to quiet him, "He's alive and in surgery right now. Morgan said the doctors were worried about an infection to that wound on his leg and he has several bruised and one cracked rib. He also has a mild concussion but other than that he should make a full, albeit slow, recovery."

Hotch slumped back into the pillows, releasing the sigh of relief that he felt he had been holding since the whole ordeal began.

"Did you find Tanner's body?"

Rossi nodded, "The M.E. said he died rather quickly." He leaned over and pulled out a folder that was under another book that he had probably been reading earlier, "This is the list of things we found in his home, including files on you and Reid. I've already sent a letter to his section chief that you'll probably want to speak with him on his…_laxness _on security."

Hotch read the file and closed it, "I saw the signs that he could potentially snap years ago. I should have never let it slide."

"Aaron, you know as well as I do that even the best profilers can't always see exactly how someone will react especially years down the line." Rossi shifted closer to the bed as he stood up. "Sometimes all we can do is react to a situation as it comes."

Hotch watched him with narrowed eyes as Rossi walked towards the door, "I'll see if we can't get a doctor to release you so we can both go and make sure Morgan doesn't eat all of Reid's Jell-o."

Hotch stared at Rossi with a now curious look and the older man added, "…what?"

* * *

Morgan was sitting next to Reid's bed much like Rossi had done for Hotch as he watched his young team mate sleep. The surgery had gone well and there would be no lasting damage but Reid was going to need to stay with someone for a week or so when he was released. The doctor had stated that Reid would be allowed to leave a few hours after his iv had finished but Morgan was in no rush, Reid looked like hell. His face was black and blue with some yellow tinges and his ribs were wrapped but Morgan suspected that his chest was a similar color.

Suddenly the quick death Tanner received was too good for the crazed man and Morgan found himself wishing that he could have at least had five minutes alone with him.

"Has he woken up at all?" A voice asked and Morgan turned to see Hotch hobbling over on crutches.

"…yeah. He was awake long enough to tell me to keep my hands off his jell-o but he's been asleep since then."

"Good. I was just speaking with the doctor and we should probably figure out where he's going to stay."

"He's going to stay with me." Morgan announced without any hesitation, "I've got plenty of room."

Hotch nodded and the two sat in silence for a bit until JJ walked into the room with a small stuffed bear.

She looked sheepishly at the other two as she put the bear near Reid, "Garcia insisted."

Morgan laughed when he noticed that the bear had little glasses as well, "I'm sure he'll love it."

Even Hotch had to grin at that thought.

* * *

Several weeks had gone by before Reid reentered the BAU offices. Morgan had driven him over only after Reid had promised that he wasn't going to strain himself and when Reid entered the room a flash of something bright and colorful rushed at him with a squeal.

"My junior G-man!" Garcia pulled him into a hug and Reid patted her somewhat awkwardly. "I missed you!"

"…Garcia you've seen me over at Morgan's house a bunch of times." Reid reminded her as she had brought him cookies.

"Yes, well it's different seeing you back at work so there." She told him defiantly but stepped to the side so Emily could get her hug in. Reid chatted with them for a few moments while Morgan went to get him some coffee and as the big man moved away, Reid had a clear line of vision to Hotch's office where the older man was clearly in the middle of some report.

"Uh, will you ladies excuse me?" Reid slid between them and made his way up the stairs, stopping briefly for a moment to wave at Rossi who was walking out of his own office.

"Good to see you, Reid. Make sure when you check your inbox you don't do the paperwork that Morgan slipped in himself."

"Thanks, Rossi." Reid smiled and Rossi continued to walk down to the bullpen, leaving Reid free to knock on Hotch's door.

"Come in."

Reid entered the office and gave Hotch one of his patented waves. Hotch motioned for him to sit down and Reid closed the door before doing so.

"How have you been doing?" Hotch asked and Reid pushed some of his hair behind his ear.

"A little sore but I'm ready to get back to work."

Hotch looked up at him and took a moment to take in his appearance, "Did you get cleared by a doctor?"

"Yes."

"A doctor whose name isn't Spencer Reid?" Hotch could have sworn he saw Reid pout for just a moment.

"Yes, Hotch. It was a Bureau physician." He pulled a note out of his messenger bag and handed it to Hotch, who read it quickly.

"Alright, it's good to have you back, Reid."

Reid shifted for a moment, knowing that he was being politely dismissed to go and do some work but he felt as if he still had something to say.

"Hotch?"

"What is it, Reid?"

"Thank you…you know, for everything...just you being there helped." He trailed off, knowing that Hotch would understand what he meant.

Hotch slowly put down his pen and locked gazes with Reid, "I'd do it again, Reid. Remember that."

Reid nodded and stood up suddenly, gathering up his messenger bag before he walked out of Hotch's office to start a new work day.

* * *

**I really wanted to focus on the the character interactions more than anything so I hope I did ok there and I hope you all enjoyed the story! **


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